Coincidental Chain Reaction
by Slushie Addict
Summary: "A chain reaction built up on coincidences, that's what it is."


Hey guys, Slushie Addict here! So um, I'm not sure what should I say here for a one-shot? Uh, it's written from Heather Duke's perspective, though it's in 3rd person POV cause I suck at 1st person POV and I just can't get 2nd person POV. To those who include these in your stories, I fucking salute you all! Haha and as always, I don't own Heathers!

XXXXXX

It was a coincidence that Heather Duke was born partially deaf, which allowed her to possess the knowledge of lip reading. So when Veronica was in a 7-11 store buying Corn Nuts for Heather Chandler, she was able to tell how the conversation with Jason 'JD' Dean went.

"Freezing your brain's easy. Just suck on that straw, and get lost in the pain." JD's lips read, a flirtatious smile on his face as he held up a slushie cup in front of Veronica. "Happiness comes when everything numbs. Who needs cocaine anyways? Freezing your brain's way easier, and legal too!"

"Does your mommy know you drink all that crap?" Veronica's lips read, while all Heather Duke could think of was how unstable JD could really be. JD shook his head sadly, a wistful smile on his face as his lips began to move again.

"Nope. When mom was alive, we lived halfway normal. Now it's me and my dad, heh, we're less formal. I've learnt to cook pasta, and I've learnt to pay rent, learnt that the world doesn't owe you a cent."

"Heather, what are you looking at?" Someone tapped on Heather Duke's shoulder, alerting her to that person. That person was Heather McNamara, the only Heather that Heather Duke considered as a friend. She was aware of Heather Duke's hearing impairment, therefore she tried to either shout or use physical means to get Heather Duke's attention.

"Veronica and trench coat kid are talking. He's creepy in a bad way." Heather Duke replied, going back to the conversation in the convenience store.

"When you freeze your brain, it feels like you're swimming in fucking cold ice, like you're lost in pain!" Heather Duke flinched, while she didn't particularly care for Veronica, she knew that associating with JD seemed disastrous from whichever viewpoint. Still, she continued to read their conversation, becoming more disturbed as the conversation progressed. "Just shut your eyes tight, and vanish from sight. Let nothing remain! And when you freeze your brain, shatter your skull, and fight pain with more pain! You just forget who you are, and unburden your load! Forget in six weeks, you'll be back on the road... and when the voice in your head says you're better off dead, don't open a vein!"

"Uh, Heather? What is Heather doing?" Heather Duke asked, having read enough of the conversation.

"She's sleeping." Heather McNamara replied, going up to the driver's seat only to find Heather Chandler dozing off.

"W-Well wake her up! Remind her that Veronica's not back with her damn nuts and that she's flirting with trench coat kid!"

"You sound weird. Are you okay?"

"Just wake Heather up right _now_!"

"O-Okay, she's gonna be pissed at us though..." Heather McNamara complied with Heather Duke's desperate pleas, nudging the girl clad in mainly red awake. "Heather, can we go now? We're gonna be late for the party."

"Pffft. Late? We're the fucking party. Where the fuck's Veronica?" Heather Chandler yawned, grumbling something about punching Heather Duke in the face.

"She's still in 7-11. Without your Corn Nuts." Heather Duke said, which was apparently enough for Heather Chandler to storm out of the car and into the store. She then proceeded to drag Veronica back into the car, driving off to Ram's house afterwards. Veronica was mumbling under her breath about how Heather Chandler was rude to JD as they were still in a conversation. As her seating partner, Heather Duke had 'heard' what Veronica said, but chose not to address it.

 _'Urgh, I have a bad feeling about trench coat kid. He doesn't even sound stable! And this is coming from a half-deaf girl... Gah, whatever. I should just enjoy myself later at Ram's homecoming party.' _Heather Duke thought to herself, her eyes wandering back to the passing street lights the car zoomed past.

XXXXXX

It was a coincidence that she had stumbled on Veronica and JD giving Heather Chandler a mug that caused the demon queen of Westerburg to suddenly collapse. Heather Duke wished that she had came earlier to give Heather Chandler the hangover drink she was forced to make during Ram's homecoming party last night, that way she could have stopped her from drinking whatever Veronica had offered her.

"Oh my god. Oh my god I just killed my best friend!" Veronica's lips read, her panicked face telling Heather Duke that she was genuinely distressed. She herself was also distressed, not because she had just saw someone die but rather the expression on JD heavily hinted that he wasn't normal in the mental sense.

"And your worst enemy!" JD replied, a calm smile spreading across his face. Heather Duke shivered, deciding that she should hide from the duo. She didn't want to risk herself getting shot by Veronica's boyfriend, after all he had gleefully waved a gun at Ram and Kurt when they were taken away to see the nurse.

"Same difference!" Veronica had apparently yelled back at JD, Heather Duke wasn't really sure but judging from how wide her mouth was when talking to JD, she was fairly sure that Veronica was raising her voice. "The police are going to think it was me who did it!"

 _'Yeah, if one, someone calls the police. And two, how the fuck can you be linked to... this when she drank the fucking thing without any force?!'_ Heather Duke thought, her eyes following JD to the counter where a book was. _'What the fuck is he doing?!'_

"Look at what she was reading!" JD informed Veronica, the book in his hands. Veronica shook her head in disbelief, while Heather Duke squinted her eyes in an attempt to see the book's title. "She was reading 'The Bell Jar'!"

 _'Hang on... that's MY book! Oh Jesus fucking Christ, forget about Veronica, trench coat kid is trying to make me take the fall! Let's hope he doesn't realise that it's my book...'_ Heather Duke gulped, her brown eyes focused on JD's lips. She had read his lips, and each word that she formed in her head became worse and worse. _'Veronica should have advised him to see a fucking psychiatrist instead of flirting with him last night...'_

"Y-You can fake her handwriting! Make her... make her sound deep! Like... I have pain in my path. And uh, silver... stuff? My problems were myriad?"

"I was having my period!" Veronica replied, laughing at her own joke. Both Heather Duke and JD frowned at her, with her laughter dying down afterwards. "Hahaha... OH MY GOD!"

"Focus Veronica! You don't wanna go to jail do you?!" JD shook Veronica, with the girl nodding in response. "Just... just make her sound deep. I'll go clean up."

 _'Oh my god, I've just became a witness to this murder. But... I don't want to get myself killed by that... that psychopath!' _Heather Duke trembled, trying to pace her breathing lest JD discovered her presence when they left the murder scene. After half an hour, the couple had finally left Heather Chandler's house. Heather Duke took a steadying breath, and entered the house. She wrinkled her nose at Heather Chandler's lifeless body, blue liquid starting to seep into the carpeted floor. "Drain cleaner... He's sicker than I thought. I... I should call the police. An anonymous tip off. That... that should work, right?"

"How about you call a fucking ambulance?!" For a moment, Heather Duke heard the dead Heather's shrill voice yelling at her to call for medical aid. She decided that it was just her paranoia of getting killed by JD that made her hear dead people's voices, something that she shouldn't be able to do so with her hearing impairment. "Heather! Call. A. Fucking. Ambulance!"

"... Hello, is this the police? I saw someone commit suicide at the Chandler's residence?" Heather Duke informed the police, ignoring the familiar voice that belonged to a dead girl. A popular, dead girl that Heather Duke loathed. "No... I... I don't want to be known. Thank you."

 _'Veronica and trench coat kid aren't the murderers here, I am. Yet, I don't feel guilty about this. Why?'_ Heather Duke gulped, a small grin forming on her face as she proceeded to slit Heather Chandler's wrists with a penknife she had found strangely close to the entrance. _'Icing on cake. I'm just as sick as him, aren't I?'_

XXXXXX

It was a coincidence that she had saw Heather McNamara slitting herself with a razor. She was in a washroom cubicle vomiting out whatever she had for lunch as usual, while Heather McNamara was standing in front of the mirror and placing her makeup powder on the edge of the sink, giving the impression that she was fixing her makeup. What really got Heather Duke's attention as she turned around to ask her friend for a mint to freshen up her acid-smelling breath was a dulled razor in the head cheerleader's left hand. She was sobbing as she moved her left hand, with what Heather Duke assumed to be her best friend slitting her arms with the razor. She didn't know why Heather McNamara wanted to do such a thing to herself, but Heather Duke decided to give her some privacy by pretending to still be vomiting.

"Heather... why did you kill yourself...?" Heather McNamara sobbed, still upset over the death of Heather Chandler. Heather Duke really wanted to tell her that it was Veronica and indirectly JD (or was it the other way around?) that killed Heather Chandler, but she couldn't. Chances were that Heather McNamara may escalate the whole thing by revealing to the couple that Heather Duke knew that they caused the 'suicide', and the last thing Heather Duke wanted was to die by JD's hands. She shuddered at the thought of hearing a gunshot before she falls into a pool of blood. _Her_ blood. "I'm... I'm a terrible friend... I should have seen the signs..."

"Heather, what the fuck are you mumbling to yourself?!" Heather Duke decided that she had 'vomited' long enough, considering that for her to be able to make out what was the head cheerleader sobbing about, it meant that Heather McNamara was pretty depressed at that point. Heather Duke turned around, realising too late that the razor was still in the other Heather's hand. _'Oh fuck, she's still holding on to that blasted thing!'_

"H-Heather?!" Heather McNamara squeaked, aware that her razor was in plain sight. "I-It's not what you think it is!"

"Oh my god Heather! How the fuck did you mistake your dad's razor for your brush?!" Heather Duke chose to feign ignorance, and pretended that her first thought was that Heather McNamara was clumsy enough to mistake a block of wood with a thin piece of metal. "And ew, is that your dad's blood on his razor?! Gross much?!"

"E-Eh? A-Ah, yeah! I was in a rush this morning, so I must have taken my dad's shaving razor by mistake! No wonder I can't keep my curls in place!" Heather McNamara laughed awkwardly, going along with Heather Duke's lie. She seemed relieved that Heather Duke didn't mention anything about her self-harm. "Are you done purging?"

"Such a pillowcase, of course I'm fucking done. Now let's motor and attend fifth period already. God, why the fuck are you so blind?" Heather Duke sneered, though she was doing this to protect whatever was left of Heather McNamara's dignity. _'Is dignity the right word to use here? Or is it ego?'_

"... Sorry Heather." Heather McNamara whimpered an apology, which made something in Heather Duke snap. Heather Duke realised the significance of the coincidences she had stumbled across. By allowing Heather Chandler to die (which Heather Duke was fairly sure she was already dead before she could access the telephone), she was now in power. The power she had desired for so long, finally in her hands. So what if Heather McNamara had just became Heather Duke? She finally held power over the school, and that was all she wanted.

 _'No wonder I didn't give a shit about Heather Chandler dying. I was all along happy to see her die, can't believe I'm saying this but thanks trench coat kid. And Veronica too I guess.'_ Heather Duke shook her head, half in disgust and half in excitement towards her new life as the school's queen bee.

XXXXXX

It was a coincidence that she had saw JD and Veronica killing Ram and Kurt. Well, to be more specific, just JD killing the two jocks because Veronica had clearly missed her shot. Heather Duke had decided that dawn would be the best time to visit Heather Chandler's grave so that she could freely rant about how her life sucked when the former queen bee was alive. What she did _not_ expect was two half naked jocks covered in blood. Even worse, she did not expect a bloodied JD to be tenderly embracing a horrified Veronica, a sick little smile on his face as he whispered sweet nothings into Veronica's ear.

"I worship you Veronica. I'll gladly trade my life for yours." JD's lips read, with Veronica saying nothing. Heather Duke wanted to bolt from the murder scene she was unlucky enough to stumble upon, but the trees around her meant that the rustling of leaves would alert the couple and send her to an early death. Without much options, Heather Duke simply stood where she was, thankfully hidden from their view. "Our love is God, right Veronica?"

"... Our love is God..." Veronica mumbled, her eyes dead with shock. Heather Duke started to worry for Veronica, while she still didn't like her, she was genuinely worried given that JD was a constant presence in Veronica's life. And Heather Duke had already known from the start that he wasn't the definition of mental stability.

"Let's get outta here before the security guards make their rounds yeah?" JD suggested, ushering his girlfriend out of the cemetery via another path that was the furthest from the path Heather Duke was the closest to. Once they were out of sight, Heather Duke silently made her way to the dead bodies, and stared at the murder scene that was littered with adult magazines catered to women.

"... A gay suicide. Fucking sicko, he killed them because of the threeway thing?" Heather Duke snorted, then her face paled as she realised the gravity of her words. "Wait... Oh no. I'm... I'm next, aren't I? I spread that rumour of Veronica fucking those two, so he's going to kill me. Shit!"

"I swear James, I heard a gunshot just now!" Heather Duke panicked, realising that if she was seen with the bodies, she was going to be arrested. However, she didn't have enough time to hide, let alone escape. Taking a deep breath, she got onto her knees and pretended to cry over Ram, her sort of boyfriend that she wished she didn't have. "Oh Jesus Christ! Miss, what happened?!"

"I-I... I got a call from my boyfriend, saying that he was sorry for being gay with his best friend. H-He said that they wanted to die at the place where their only friend who knew about their sexuality was buried, s-so I ran all the way here to convince them that there was a better way besides suicide but..." Heather Duke continued to fake her tears, wondering to herself why didn't she just tell them the truth. _'Oh wait, I'm afraid that trench coat psycho will put a bullet in my head before his original plans. Great, now I've just became their accomplice. Fuck my life.'_

"I'm very sorry for your loss miss. We'll inform their parents, do you have their numbers?" After exchanging numbers, Heather Duke was allowed to leave the cemetery, something heavy weighing on her shoulder.

"Well fuck me gently with a chainsaw, you blew your second chance at justice!" Heather Duke groaned, trying her very best to ignore the voice. "Heather! I'm talking to you!"

"Shut up Heather. Go haunt Veronica or something."

"Oh please, I'm already doing that. But do you really think that you're blameless?"

"... No, they were all coincidences. They were all coincidences that I happened to be there."

"Did you do anything to change those 'coincidences' you speak of?" Heather Duke stood frozen in place, the dead Heather Chandler's words echoing in her head. Would everything be better if she had just reported JD to the police? Would everything be better if she had warned Veronica that JD was unstable? She didn't know, but all she knew was that she couldn't stop now. "... I'm saying this as we've been together since sixth grade, but you better think of the consequences of your future actions."

"... I think it's a little too late for that."

XXXXXX

It was probably a coincidence that Ms Fleming chose to advertise her counselling methods on live television shortly after Ram's and Kurt's 'suicide'. Heather Duke assumed that she wanted to broadcast her methods (which was pretty much useless) to the public for a long time but couldn't as there was no reason to.

"I'm kinda looking forward to this Heather." Heather McNamara said, a small smile tugging at her lips. Heather Duke knew why she said that, she really needed help after all. Especially since she's turned from slitting wrists to slashing them, it's a wonder that the rest of the cheering team didn't notice.

"Did you eat a brain tumour for breakfast?" Heather Duke replied, maintaining her queen bee persona. She wanted to tell Heather McNamara that while she agreed that she needed help, it was best to get it from a certified professional instead from some teacher the whole school hated. She knew she couldn't in the end, just like what Heather Chandler would have done if she had heard Heather McNamara expressing interest. _'I'm really sorry Heather, but I need to be in power, even if it means being such a mega bitch to you.'_

"Hello Westerburg!" Ms Fleming greeted as she faced a video camera, most likely there to tape her methods in helping depressed or suicidal teens. Heather Duke rolled her eyes, resting on JD's smirk. It made her scared, that a murderer was among them and was listening to Ms Fleming's speech.

 _'It's seriously disturbing to see psycho kid here... I bet he's using this opportunity to find a way to off me. At this rate, I'll need to write a note saying that he's a fucking murderer.'_ Heather Duke gulped, distancing herself from JD. Veronica was with him, a scared expression on her face as she listened to whatever nonsense Ms Fleming spouted to the cameras.

"If we show our ugly parts to each other, it'll turn out to be beautiful!" Ms Fleming declared, with the students snickering at that declaration. Heather Duke watched their reactions, noting that they didn't take it seriously. Save for Veronica and Heather McNamara. Ms Fleming continued her speech for another 15 minutes m, ending it off by asking the students to 'share'. That's when everything turned disastrous, with Heather McNamara stepping out.

"I've thought about killing myself!" Heather McNamara admitted, shocking the whole school. Heather Duke panicked, knowing that her best friend will be a laughingstock if she was allowed to share her thoughts.

"Heather, what are you doing?!" Heather Duke seethed, trying her very best to intimidate Heather McNamara into backing out. It seemed to work, and it would probably have if it weren't for Ms Fleming. _'Oh no, no no no. Please don't tell the rest about how you cut yourself in the school washroom, they'll mock you to your grave!'_

"Nononono! It's alright Heather, you're in a safe place. It's just you, me and all your classmates who love you." Heather Duke was taken aback, Ms Fleming was willing to humiliate a suicidal student in front of the whole school just for the sake of promoting her methods that wasn't likely to reap results.

"Heather, get back in line!" Heather Duke ordered, though it was actually a plea to her only friend to back out. While it made Heather McNamara cower in fear, it had also made Ms Fleming angry with Heather Duke. _'No... No, don't do it Heather!'_

"Zip it." Ms Fleming curtly said to Heather Duke, waiting for the head cheerleader to reveal her thoughts to the whole school.

"W-Well, my sorta boyfriend died because he was gay for the linebacker. And my best friend seemed to have it together but now she's gone too. Now my stomach's hurting worse and worse every time I'm on the bus and I think 'Jesus, I'm on the freaking bus again because all my rides to school are dead'!" Words spilled out of Heather McNamara's mouth like a broken dam, with some of the students snickering at that confession.

"Aw, poor baby. She can't go to school by herself without her dead rides!" A student whispered to his friend, making Heather Duke angry at the sight of people mocking her best friend's mental state.

"I'm floating in a boat, i-in a raging black river. I-It's low in the water, a really tiny lifeboat. I-It's cold, clammy and crowded, you guys smell desperate, a-and we'll sink any minute. The tiniest lifeboat... full of people I know..." Heather Duke turned to Veronica and JD, with the former looking positively distressed at the breakdown. JD, on the other hand, looked as though he was planning to fake Heather McNamara's death via suicide. And given Heather McNamara's current state, he'll get away scot-free without any suspicion.

"Heather..." Heather Duke mumbled, now fully aware that the students were giving her friend mocking smiles. It was then she realised that no matter how much she wanted to run up to Heather McNamara and confront her, she couldn't because she was the queen bee, and she was expected to laugh at Heather McNamara's problems. All she could do now was to relentlessly mock her friend if she truly wanted power over the school, a terrible deal now that Heather Duke looked back upon her decision. _'What have I done?! I... I'm about to sell Heather out because I'm just too damn selfish to give up my power for her well-being! This isn't what I wanted! I don't want her to die with slits on her wrists!'_

"Oh so now you're having regrets over not calling 911?" Heather Chandler's voice floated, irritating Heather Duke. "This is the curse of being at the top Heather, and you knew it all along."

"No... I... I don't. You hid it so well." Heather Duke replied, trying to ignore Heather Chandler for Heather McNamara. _'Seems like not only am I hard of hearing, but I'm blind to everything...'_

"W-Who made you the new leader of Westerburg anyways?! I sure as hell don't want you to be one if I knew you'll be bitchier than before!" Heather McNamara cried out, sobbing as she tried her best to fight back her tears. Heather Duke flinched, not knowing that was what her best friend thought of her. Eventually, Heather McNamara collapsed to the ground, her tears now freely flowing down her cheeks. "I just... I just want everything to go back to normal..."

"Heather..." Heather Duke started, but stopped upon noticing the evil grins on the students' faces. They were expecting her to mock her best friend, and Heather Duke knew that she had to if she didn't want to end up like Heather McNamara. Heather Duke gulped, remembering that moment when she found out that her best friend was cutting herself because she couldn't take it. She didn't want to end up like her at all, even if it meant selling whatever morals she had left in exchange for such protection. "... What's your damage Heather? Are you saying that Westerburg's not a nice place?!"

"Heather, don't be mean-spirited!" Ms Fleming had tried to intervene, though it was obvious that she only wanted Heather Duke to stop ruining her possible chance of fame. Heather Duke glared at the teacher, continuing to mock her best friend.

"Where's your school spirit? You don't deserve to wear our school colours!"

"Heather!"

"Why don't you hop on to your little lifeboat, and catch a narly wave over to Remington!" The whole school broke out into mocking laughter, save for Veronica, JD, Ms Fleming and Heather McNamara. Heather Duke laughed, not because she thought it was funny, but she wanted to cover up the pain she felt for worsening her friend's mental state. Heather McNamara ran off after one of the students pointed out that she was about to cry even though she was already crying. This prompted Ms Fleming to punish Heather Duke for seemingly not being supportive of the head cheerleader.

"Young lady, you are suspended! Turn the cameras off! Turn them off god damn it!" Ms Fleming demanded, with Veronica going up to her and giving her a piece of her mind.

"Is that all it matters to you?! Cameras?!"

"I care about saving lives!"

"Yeah well, all you're doing is to convince a group of students who don't give two fucks about this and patronise us like bunny rabbits!"

"... I do not patronise students like bunny rabbits." Ms Fleming left the gym, while Veronica was still talking. She eventually admitted that she was the one who was responsible for the 'suicides', which directed Heather Duke's attention to JD's darkening expression.

"... Hahahahaha! Oh the things one will say in order to become popular!" Heather Duke made the whole school agree with her, with Veronica hurriedly exiting the gym. Heather Duke prayed that Veronica was off to find Heather McNamara, and hoped that Heather McNamara would still be alive when Veronica found her.

 _'I really fucked up. Power corrupts, can't believe I get to experience that phrase first hand...'_

XXXXXX

It was probably not a coincidence that JD had approached her, a clipboard in his hand and an eerie smile plastered across his face. Heather Duke gulped, her feet stuck to the ground as he called out to her with a quote from 'Moby Dick'.

"That's from Moby Dick." Heather Duke commented, her brown eyes levelling with JD's. JD nodded in approval, closing up the distance between them.

"I appreciate a well-read woman." JD said, handing Heather Duke an envelope. She was scared to even know what it contained, but if she refused she'll never know how dangerous it could really be.

"W-What's inside the envelope?"

"Open it up and have a look." JD grinned, with Heather Duke snatching the envelope from him and opened it. In it were pictures of Heather Duke and Martha together during their childhood days, something that heather Duke wasn't so keen to be reminded of.

"Oh shit!" Heather Duke realised what JD had planned for her. He knew that she wanted popularity more than anything, and if he revealed to the school that she was once friends with the school's least unpopular kid, she'll be kicked off the platform like how Heather Chandler was offed by Veronica (and JD). Heather Duke grimaced, aware that she was in no position to turn back the clock and redo her actions. As such, she had no choice but to comply with JD. _'That demented... How the fuck is he going to lead me to my 'suicide' with these photos?!'_

"Just a tangible reminder that at one point, around six I'm guessing, you and Martha Dunnstock are friends." JD commented, acting as though he had no intentions to blackmail her. Heather Duke nearly crushed the pictures in her hands, having a good idea to how he managed to get the proof that she had buried a long time ago.

"Where did you get these? Did Veronica give them to you?" JD flashed her a knowing look, which made Heather Duke's heart stop for a brief moment. "What do you want? Money?"

"A favour." That was certainly not the answer Heather Duke had been expecting, innuendo intended or not. Regardless what kind of favour JD wanted, she wasn't going to give in so easily.

"No way."

"You know, I really love the one with you, Martha and Ram in the bathtub together."

"... These photos are ancient history. Nobody cares about the past, nobody cares about Martha Dumptruck." Heather Duke stated, shoving the envelope back to JD and storming off. She swore to never let JD get what he wanted, even if it meant being unpopular. Somehow, JD had managed to convince Heather Duke to get signatures for the pep rally. With a sigh, she decided to forge every single signature, bumping into Veronica and Heather McNamara a while later. She had told them what she was doing, with Veronica refusing to comply. "Veronica, why are you pulling on my dick? It was your boyfriend's idea."

"JD?" Veronica stared at Heather Duke as though she was some alien, disbelief on her face as Heather Duke explained his role in the pep rally.

"He came up with the signature sheet and everything."

"... Look. I don't know what JD's up to, but if you know what's good for you you'll throw that clipboard away." Veronica warned, removing the clipboard from Heather McNamara's hands and shoving it into Heather Duke's. "Heather, don't sign that."

"Not a chance!" Heather Duke breathlessly laughed, twirling around the pen she held in her right hand. _'It's not that I don't know what's good for me, it's that he already has a hold on me. Besides, I know what he's going to do with this 'signature sheet'.'_

"Why are you so stubborn?!"

"Hah! Me, stubborn? Well whatever, if you're not going to sign this then I'll forge yours. Just like how I did with Martha Dumptruck's, she's in no condition to sign it now after what happened last night."

"What happened last night?" Veronica asked, her face now stricken with worry as Heather Duke debated on whether she should break the news to her.

"It was on the radio! She took a belly flop off the Old Mill bridge last night carrying a suicide note!"

"Oh my god, she's not-"

"Just some broken bones! Just another geek trying to become popular and failing _miserably_." Heather Duke turned away, heading towards the chemistry lab where she was supposed to wait for JD. She sighed, how the fuck did she allow herself to get manipulated by a psychopath in the first place? She had figured out that the 'signature sheet' was really more of a mass suicide note, which meant that JD wanted to blow up the whole school during the pep rally. _'I've really fucked up now... no friends, and I'll be killed by being blown to bits.'_

"Well hello beautiful, waiting for me?" JD smirked, sauntering into the lab with the envelope in his hands. "You sure are quick."

"Hmph, what do you expect? The photos?" JD held up the envelope, tossing it to Heather Duke as though it was trash. To be fair, it _was_ trash to him. Heather Duke scowled, sliding the clipboard to him. "... I still don't get why are you so into tonight's rally."

"C'mon love, it's to raise awareness for suicide!" JD responded, which didn't convince Heather Duke the slightest. Still, she decided to leave the matter as that and left the lab, contemplating what she should do for her final hours of her life. As she passed by the gym, an idea hit her. It would most likely hurt her popularity, but she decided that she couldn't do it anymore. Besides, if it failed, she wouldn't have any popularity to chase after.

 _'... Fuck it. I've allowed this thing to build up, it's time for me to rectify my mistakes. Who cares if I die in the process, not me, or Heather that's for sure.'_ Heather Duke thought to herself, turning on her heels and entering the gym.

XXXXXX

It was not a coincidence that Heather Duke was outside the boiler room, the key to the said room in her hands. She had correctly predicted that JD had set up bombs in the gym, most likely set to go off sometime during the pep rally. Thankfully for her, all the bombs would only go off when a timer was set up, which was still not up given that nothing had happened even as she removed one of the bombs from the bleachers. Heather Duke entered the room, only to find JD setting up something in a dark corner of the room, presumably the timer to the bombs that she had managed to dispose of.

"You know, I don't really care what the fuck are you doing right now, but try to make it less obvious." Heather Duke alerted JD's attention, clearly shocked to see her standing at the doorway. "Seriously, if you don't want me to be here, then don't skulk around like some creep."

"Heh, people don't usually notice me unless they want to. So what's up beautiful?" JD regained his composure and went back to whatever he was doing prior to Heather Duke's arrival.

"What's up? I don't know, maybe the bombs you've placed in the gym?" That had really gotten JD's attention, and now he was facing her with an angry frown on his handsome features. "Look, if you wanna blow the school up into smithereens, at least do it _after_ the yearbook committee's done taking photos."

"Bombs? Who ever said that I set those up?" JD laughed, a tinge of fear in his maniacal laughter. Heather Duke's lips curled into a smile, she had never expected him to be capable of any emotions. "Oh Heather, you sure have an imaginative mind!"

"Yeah? Then I'm sure I must have imagined you shooting Ram and Kurt in the cemetery. Or imagined you allowing Veronica to give Heather Chandler drain cleaner." JD had immediately whipped out a gun from his trench coat, but for some reason it didn't scare her one bit. "Hey relax, I'm not going to tell anyone about the 'suicides'."

"... Oh really? I can't have you running your mouth to others though." JD replied, his voice devoid of any emotion. "Give me one good reason I should allow you of all people to walk away scot-free."

"Scot-free? Please, I'm already suffering thanks to you. I did nothing to stop you, and that resulted in Heather nearly committing suicide. I'm starting to crack under the pressure of being the queen bee around here, so I would welcome death by mass 'suicide'."

"And you think that'll get you out of here alive?"

"It's either that, or I'll scream bloody murder. Let me go, and you can blow Westerburg to bits with me included. Quite a fair deal right?" Heather Duke offered, at this point not even caring whether she would leave the boiler room alive. JD let out a huge groan, keeping his gun in his coat. "Thanks, I'll try not to haunt you when I die later."

"... You better shut your trap, I want this explosion to be beautiful for Veronica." Heather Duke smiled, leaving the room. She was able to hear the door lock behind her, which didn't really affected her since she wasn't going to come back anytime soon. Besides, she held the keys to the boiler room. She was about to enter the gym when she saw Veronica talking to Ms Fleming, with the former quickly making her way out. They had bumped into each other, causing Veronica to fall to the floor.

"Where you going Veronica? Going to miss out on the rally?" Heather Duke asked, a smile on her face as she watched Veronica get up. It then suddenly came to her that timers were still bombs, and that the whole school was still at risk of dying in an explosion. "Where's your boyfriend?"

"I'm going to find him. Now step aside." Veronica said, with Heather Duke blocking her way as she tried to get to the boiler room. "Heather! Get lost!"

"Sure. Just to tell you that your boyfriend locked himself up in the boiler room with a gun and a bomb." Heather Duke shrugged, handing a stunned Veronica the key. "Here, to the boiler room."

"Why are you helping me? And why do you know about-"

"If we make it out alive, I'll tell you." Heather Duke stated, placing all her confidence in Veronica. She entered the gym, with Heather McNamara sitting on the bleachers. She went over to Heather McNamara, the latter scooting away from the queen bee. "... Just pretend I'm Veronica until she gets back. She's going to breakup with her boyfriend."

"... You'll never be like Veronica." Heather McNamara muttered, not looking at Heather Duke. Heather Duke couldn't clearly hear what the other Heather had just told her, but she could at least guess.

"That's right, because I'm such a bitch." Heather Duke smiled, her eyes on the cheerleading team.

XXXXXX

It was not a coincidence that Heather Duke was standing at JD's grave with Veronica. In fact, Veronica was the one who told her to accompany her to his grave. Heather Duke obliged, with every intention to answer Veronica's questions if she had any.

"So, why did you not stop JD when you found out that he's planting a bomb in the boiler room?" Veronica asked the very first question in her mind, not surprising Heather Duke the slightest.

"Well one, he had a fucking gun. Two, I had disposed of the bombs in the gym before confronting him. I forgot that timer bombs are still bombs though."

"How the fuck did you know how to dispose a bomb in the first place?"

"Let's just say I've plotted to plant bombs in Heather Chandler's house ever since junior year. Turns out that the easiest way to kill her was to give her a mug filled with drain cleaner."

"You know about that too?!" Veronica was taken aback, not expecting Heather Duke to know about her part in it. "Wait... why didn't you report me?"

"I've always wanted Heather Chandler dead. Besides, even if I _did_ report it to the cops, your ex would have offed me a long time ago. You've seen how he had so easily killed those two jocks just because they accused you of being a slut."

"For the record, that was _you_."

"I'm surprised he didn't try to kill me earlier." Heather Duke chuckled, tossing a flower at the grave. "How's Heather?"

"... Better. She still wants you in your life for some reason."

"Tell her I'll pass. I'm not able to deal with her suicidal thoughts or her self-harming tendencies." Veronica's face paled noticeably, and Heather Duke didn't know why. "What did I say wrong?"

"How did you know that she cuts herself?"

"Saw her doing that in the washroom once. I pretended to think that the razor she held in her hand at that time was her mistaking it for her brush." Heather Duke admitted, tears starting to well up in her eyes. "I... I really just wanted to tell her that I'm there for her, that I won't think worse of her. Look at what happened in the end, I went against what I had really wanted. Even worse, Heather Chandler had haunted me for a while. She's so fucking annoying."

"I can agree with you on the annoying part, she indirectly caused Martha's suicide attempt." Heather Duke didn't say anything for a while, then she chuckled. Her chuckling grew louder, until it resembled JD's maniacal laughter. "H-Heather?"

"Oh god, Veronica! You're such a pillowcase! Heather had _nothing_ to do with Martha's suicide! It was all me! _I'm_ the one who's responsible for all this mess!" Heather Duke allowed her tears to fall freely, collapsing in front of the grave. "... You know, I'm actually hard of hearing. I read people's lips to actually understand what they're saying at normal volume. On the night of the party, I read your conversation with Jason Dean and I knew that he was bad news. I could have warned you in the car that he was not normal, that he was deranged. But I didn't, and that started off a chain reaction. A chain reaction built up on coincidences, that's what it is."

"Coincidences? Chain reaction? I-I don't follow."

"It's a coincidence that I'm partially deaf, that allowed me to know that he was crazy. I didn't act on it, and come the next day I had arrived at Heather's house at the exact moment when you gave her that blasted drink. I could have called 911 to save her, or told the cops the truth but I didn't. Then some time after her death, I saw Heather cutting herself. I could have just gone up to her and comforted her, but no, I pretended everything was peachy and found out that I now had power over Westerburg. It was a coincidence that I was at the cemetery at dawn, and I could have acted on that coincidence by telling the security guards that he killed them. I didn't, and what happened in the end? I caused Heather to nearly commit suicide, caused Martha to try and take her own life and the school nearly blew up! Do you get it now?! All of the events that happened up till today was a result of a series of coincidences that had led to a fucking chain reaction!"

"... Does it really matter if it's a coincidental chain reaction? You're not completely at fault too. I saw the signs too late, and I didn't try to get help for him when he was only plotting to kill you. You caused the reaction because you were scared and hungry for power, I sped it up because I didn't want to get jailed." Veronica mumbled, placing a slushie on JD's grave. "C'mon, let's just move on from this topic."

"Am I allowed to?" Heather Duke asked, though the question didn't seem to be posed at Veronica. "Am I allowed to still live even though I have the blood of four people in my hands?"

"Heather, _no_. You're not going to commit suicide, I'll stop you."

"Heh, as if suicide can erase my sins. I threw away the power I lusted for at the last minute, and look what happened." Heather Duke sighed, starting to walk away from the grave. "I guess... what I can do now is to start off from a blank slate. No more popularity, no more being a bitch. Be careful not to end up like me though, being popular corrupts your morals."

"I'm already a walking example, no need to remind me." Veronica made a joke at her own expense, following Heather Duke out of the cemetery. "Hey Heather, wanna join us for lunch? You can be Heather Duke, the girl who hangs out with a group of girls who like watching movies with a happy ending."

"Can I? Do I deserve such a chance to start anew?" Heather Duke turned around, face to face with Veronica. Veronica's lips moved, and what Heather Duke had read was not what she had expected.

"... Everyone deserves a chance. And if you still don't think of it as a chance, think of it as a coincidence. A coincidence that was so happened to be offered to you that can change your life."

"Will that coincidence result in a chain reaction?"

"Definitely." Veronica said, extending out her hand. "Do you want that chain reaction to happen?"

"... Yeah, that'll be nice." Heather Duke mumbled, accepting Veronica's hand. "... Oh god, you should first start by speaking louder if you want to stay behind me. You now know that I'm hard of hearing!"

"SURE, IS THIS LOUD ENOUGH?!" Veronica yelled, with Heather nodding. "Heh, I think Martha may tell me to shut up one of these days."

"Let's hope not." Heather Duke replied, the two of them getting into Heather Duke's jeep. They then went back to Veronica's house, where Heather McNamara and Martha were waiting for Veronica. Heather Duke couldn't help cracking a smile as they forgave her for being a bitch towards them for years, grateful at the 'coincidence' she was offered.

 _'I hope that this time, this coincidental chain reaction will have a positive impact on my life. No, on all of our lives...'_

XXXXXX

Hey Slushie Addict here! Sooo... I really fucked up. Yeah. I suck at writing stuff that isn't 100% happy. Uhhhh... I also suck at endings, I'm sure you guys would have known considering that my usual one-shots end off on a weird note. I really have nothing else to say here, so thanks for reading up till this point? And uh, if you guys have anything to comment about this, be it writing style, choice of words, you guys can just do so via a review. See you guys soon?


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